President Gül Goes To Mecca On Hajj

President Abdullah Gül has joined millions of fellow Muslims to perform the hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca this year.



Gül departed for Saudi Arabia from İstanbul Atatürk Airport on Sunday morning. İstanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, İstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and İstanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın were present when Gül arrived at the airport. The Turkish president did not make any statement to the press.



Turkish journalists based in Saudi Arabia reported last Sunday that Gül is expected to be in the kingdom to perform the hajj this week. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is expected to go Mecca at least once in her/his lifetime during the designated time of the pilgrimage based on the Islamic lunar calendar. This year, Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) will be celebrated beginning on Oct. 15, and Muslims will become pilgrims a day before Eid al-Adha starts. President Gül is known to have performed the hajj several times during his employment as an economist at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah. Gül's trip to holy Mecca this year has not yet been confirmed by presidential sources. Many heads of state perform their hajj as the guests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia each year. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)



SHOTLIST



TURKEY, ISTANBUL, 13 OCT 2013



Arrival of some ministers to the airport



Arrival of President to the airport



President gets out of the car



Shakes hands of ministers Enters the airport building



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